Gyroscopic toys such as toy tops have been around for years. A problem with current tops is that their spin rate and spin time is relatively short. The spin rate and spin time are functions of the amount of energy imparted on the top. A longer spin time is desirable because it allows the person playing with the top to do more tricks of increased complexity.
Some tops incorporate a flywheel for imparting spin energy to the top tip. With these tops, the flywheel is coupled to the tip. Thus, as the flywheel spins so does the tip. The flywheel may be spun with the aid of a string or flexible gear rack. The problem with these tops is that once the flywheel is spinning it is impossible to impart more spin energy to the flywheel for increasing the spin time and/or spin rate of the tops.
Consequently, a gyroscopic toy such as a top is needed that allows its user to impart an increased amount of spin energy on its tip for increasing the spin time and/or spin rate of the gyroscopic toy.
Gyroscopic toys are provided that can spin at higher speeds and thus incorporate a lighter flywheel. The gyroscopic toys comprise a housing which is typically the toy body. A shaft is coupled to the housing and can rotate relative to the housing. A tip of the shaft extends beyond the housing. A flywheel and a drive gear are coupled to the shaft. A pulley and pinion are coupled via a torsion spring to the housing. A first gear is coupled to the pinion. A string is wound around the pulley. A floating gear is coupled to the first gear and can float from a first position to a second position wherein when in the first position, the floating gear is coupled to the drive gear and to the first gear, and wherein when in the second position, the floating gear is decoupled from the drive gear.
To operate the toy, the user pulls on the string. As a result, the pulley with pinion are rotated coiling the torsion spring. This rotation causes, the floating gear to move radially inward to a position coupled to both the first gear and the drive gear. Consequently, the drive gear is caused to rotate and thus, spin the shaft and flywheel. Once the user releases the string, the torsion spring uncoils causing the pulley/pinion combination to rotate in an opposite direction and coiling the string in the pulley. This opposite rotation causes the first gear to rotate in an opposite direction moving the floating gear in a radially outward direction whereby the floating gear decouples from the drive gear. As the user further pulls on the string he imparts more spin energy on the flywheel as there is less torsional inertia to overcome causing the shaft to spin faster and longer. The more times the user pulls the string the more spin energy imparted to the flywheel and the faster and longer that the toy will spin.
The gear ratio between the gears and specifically the reduction in gearing provided in the gyroscopic toys of the present invention allows for more spin energy to be imparted to the shaft and flywheel. It allows the user to incrementally increase the cumulative spin energy imparted on the flywheel.
In an alternate embodiment, a transmission may be provided that is manual or automatic, allowing the user to select the gear ratio.